Harmful algal blooms (HAB) are typically seen in summer, after periods of hot and humid weather. But his year, a HAB was spotted on the north end of Cayuga Lake in late April, the earliest on record.
"That is a surprise," said Cornell algal bloom expert Katie Fiorella. "We have been associating algal blooms with warming temperatures. And so that linkage has traditionally meant once the water is really warm up. But the real cause of these blooms is, in its heart, is nutrient pollution. And so the nutrients running into the lake leads to the overgrowth of some of these algae species that can also produce toxins."
Fiorella said it's not just heat and humidity that creates algae-producing toxins that could be a health risk.
"Traditionally it has really been agricultural in this region, the runoff," she said. "And there are more and more questions about sort of the degree to which, not just the nitrogen and phosphorus, which are the typical concerns that could be driving these blooms, but other things like some of the other agrochemicals, for example, that may also have an impact."
Harmful algal blooms can produce toxins and other compounds that can pose health risks to people and pets by ingesting them, touching them or breathing them in. And while this early bloom is surprising and could portend a busy algal bloom season, Fiorella said it’s good news that this was detected and tested early.
"So that's a really good sign that we have the infrastructure that's going to support that and will want to be really continuing to use it over the course of this season for sure," she said. I think there is a bit of cause for concern but not for panic yet."
If you suspect a harmful algal bloom, you can submit a suspicious algal bloom report form to the DEC.
